Rear Admiral D. Brian Peterman, Seventh District Commander
Captain Wayne E. Justice. Chief of Staff

District PAO
Lt. Anthony Russell

Editor: PA2 Judy Silverstein

Photo Editor: PA3 Beth Reynolds

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April - June, 2004

PSU PROTECTS LARGEST DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS,  ASSETS SINCE WW II 

By PA1 Matthew Belson

PSU on patrol

ASH SHUAIBA, Kuwait (March 23, 2004) - A 25-foot Transportable Security Boat crew from Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 307, from St. Petersburg, Fla., conducts a high-speed patrol of the harbor. USCG Photo by PA1 Matthew Belson

ASH SHUAIBA, KUWAIT - Before Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Melissa Steinman can maneuver her 25-foot Transportable Security Boat away from the dock to start a patrol of the Kuwaiti port of Ash Shuaiba, the weapons are inspected and the critical mechanical systems must first be checked by her two crewmembers. As the coxswain, she is responsible for the safety of her crew and ensuring that her boat is capable of operating during the eight hours of a security patrol.

Steinman and her two crewmembers, Machinery Technician 2nd Class Mike Ransdell, 32, and Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Robby Peterson, 24, both from Clearwater, Fla., are part of Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 307 from St. Petersburg, Fla., deployed to Ash Shuaiba since February. Their mission: to guard the largest redeployment of troops and equipment since WWII.

“There is a reason for us to be here and we need to have our heads screwed on,” said the 24-year-old Steinman, originally from Ashland, Ore., and attends the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. She explained how challenging it could be to determine possible threats in the port where there is heavy commercial traffic.” We are always doing ‘what if’ scenarios when we are on a patrol. You have to assess all of the possibilities and it helps to heighten your situational awareness,” she added.

The threat of an attack was made all too clear when two coordinated terrorist suicide attacks were launched against Iraq’s two offshore oil terminals. Two U.S. sailors and one Coast Guardsman were killed—the first Coast Guard combat fatality since the Vietnam War—when the vessel they were in the process of trying to stop exploded. (Full Story)

FIRST COAST GUARDSMAN KILLED IN COMBAT SINCE VIET NAM

By PA2 Judy L. Silverstein

Taps played for Bruckenthal

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. (MAY 7, 2004) --- A lone Coast Guard Auxiliarist plays taps during the funeral of DC3 Nathan Bruckenthal at Arlington National Cemetery. USCG photo by PA1 John Gaffney

MIAMI, FL. -A boat explosion in Iraq inflicted the U.S. Coast Guard's first wartime loss of life since the Vietnam War. One other Coastie was injured in the Apr. 24, 2004 explosion at the Iraqi Khawr Al Amaya oil terminal in the early evening hours of that fateful day.

Friends say Nathan Bruckenthal, 24, dreamed of going to sea, serving his country and being in law enforcement.

Last month, he died in pursuit of that dream. (Full Story)

A LONG SLEEPLESS NIGHT
By LT Brian McLaughlin

“Now, get the Ready H-60 on the line. Get the Ready H60 on the line. Search for an 18-foot overdue in vicinity of Yankeetown. Get the Ready H60 on the line.”

Twenty-four minutes later, Coast Guard 6017 helicopter and crew was airborne barreling its way 80 nautical miles north along Florida’s gulf coast to once again  intervene with Mother Nature’s plan. (Full Story)

SUCCESS THROUGH PREPARATION, TEAMWORK, PREVENTION  By PA3's Ryan Doss, Stacey Pardini, Cindy Marshall and Lt. Tony Russell 

MIAMI and the Windward Pass – First-of-its-kind Task Force prevents exodus, saves lives. (Full Story)

Also in this edition...(click on the title to go to the story)

THE COAST GUARD LINKED TO IWO JIMA...BOCA RATON, Fla. – In the shadow of Mt. Suribaichi, a young quartermaster patrols the deck of LST-758.  The year is 1945.  Naval guns thunder and the buzz of bullets punctuate the air as a bloody battle rages on Iwo Jima. By PA2 Judy Silverstein, D7 Public Affairs

THE STUDENTS OF SEARCH AND RESCUE...Tucked into the waterside portion of the campus, Eckerd college operates the only program of its kind in the United States. Nearly 50 students participate annually in the Eckerd College Waterfront Program Search and Rescue Team (EC-SAR).  They often get their feet wet training and responding to cases alongside active duty crews from Coast Guard Group St. Petersburg. By PA1 Danielle DeMarino, PADET St. Petersburg

THE VERDICT... Not Guilty.  That was the verdict reached by a Key West, Fla., jury that closed the book on a migrant case that began nearly one year ago.  Though it was not the verdict the Coast Guard desired, the case closed with the service's professional pride and commitment intact.  By PA3 Sandra Bartlett, D7 Public Affairs

COMPETITION LEADS TO UNITY IN SOUTHEAST...For the first time in three years, crews from around the southeast U.S. converged on Port Canaveral, Fla. Mar. 29, 2004 for a week of intensive training and competition.  By PA2 Dana Warr, PADET Mayport

FERRIES, PARASAILING AND PASSENGER VESSELS:  A HISTORIC LOOK AT SAFETY AT SEA...Throughout our nation's history the Coast Guard has been in charge of safeguarding lives and property at sea.  By PA3 Rob Suddarth, PADET St. Petersburg

USCGC MOHAWK WORKS WITH BRITISH ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY...Crew dexterity, meticulous engineering and a blending of complexity all came together as the United States Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk, tested the mettle of its crew while deployed to the Caribbean Sea, earlier this month.  By ENS Matthew Cunningham, USCGC Mohawk 

A MARCH BACK IN HISTORY...A U.S. Coast Guard team recently participated in a tribute to the crew of the CSS H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine that sank 140 years ago, after making nautical history.  By SN Lawrence Chambers, Group Charleston

PROTECT FREEDOM II TEST METTLE OF AGENCIES...The scene looked like something out of a strange new action-adventure movie.  Two Coast Guard boats tried to outmanuever one another, sometimes just feet apart.  Meanwhile, the coxswain from the defending boat kept up a steady verbal barrage via radio contact, trying to avoid the ultimate showdown with the rogue Coast Guard boat.  By PA2 Scott Reaver, PADET Mayport

A LIFE WORTH TREASURING...Born at the end of World War I, Ronald Coutts' earliest memories include sitting in front of the radio each evening, mesmerized by history unfolding before his very ears.  The long count in the 1927 fight between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney still plays vividly in the mind of this Wesley Chapel resident. "Boy, how I cried when Dempsey lost that fight," he says."Gee, that was really something." By PA2 Judy Silverstein, PADET St. Petersburg

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